Electrode



No. 626,787. Patented lune I3, |899. W. E. IRISH:

ELECTRODE. (Applicazioni med Jan. s, 189s.)

(No Modal.)

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l@ fe Zigi-M5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM E. IRISH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO. v

ELECTRODE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,787, dated June 13, 1899.

Application tlledll'anuary 3, 1898.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beitknown that I, WILLIAM E. IRISH, acitizen ot' the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrodes, of which I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

My invention relates to improvements in electrodes for electric lighting and heating purposes; and the object of the invention is to obtain from the arcvformed between electrodes of high conductivity therequisite heat lo produce conductivityin a medium which offers a very high resistance when cold, but becomes a good conductor when heated to incandescence, this medium being introduced into the circuit and iinally forming a part thereof.

I exemplify my invention in several Ways, as hereinafter described,shown in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel shows a sectional view of two carbon electrodes,and theilgcfntlscingmedium is shown as a core passing loosely through each carbon and meeting at the central point between them. Fig. 2 shows a similar view of electrodes with one strip of the incandescing medium placed'as a'cre in one of them. Fig. 3 shows the medium sheathed over the carbons, and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show'ins into which the in@andc sgtng,medillmd can be molded.

Inwthe drawings, l are the cond ucting-electrodes.

2 is a medium of less conductivity than the carbons and refractory and ippandescing un- ,der heat.

As shown in the drawings, the electrodes of carbon or other highly-conducting material are hollow and a core or filling of a material or composition of much less conductivity than the carbons, but b e c oming con. dimite heH .heatemgincand@scenicais inserted thercimthe cores touching one another at all times. These cores under the heating effects of the arc to which they are directly exposed Will become incandescent without much loss of material from disintegration or sei-in No. 665,327. (No modal.)

in a lamp yan incandescent. medium'vfor the"v gage, the arc itself contributingtoheat the medium to conductivity, and thereby extinguishingitself while the current flows through the medium.

It is Well known that many of the oXids of rare metals-such as zirconium, thorium, magnesium, or calcium-are highly refractory under heat and when cold offer a high resistance. to the electric current, but when heated become good conductors of electricity. I therefore employ highly-refractory oXids of these characteristics for my incandescing medium, which when cold offer resistance to the current, but when heated by the closely-adjacent arc become suiiiciently conductive to maintain the circuit to the exclusion of the arc and are maintained by the current in a state of incandescence, the light obtained thereby being greater than that obtainable from the carbon on account of the greater heat possible Without volatilizing the medium. I also produce in this manner an automaticallylighting lamp.

I claiml. In an arc-lamp, means for substituting an incandescent medium for the arc consisting of the combination with the carbons; of a connecting-core between the carbons, the said core being composed of substances normally non-conductive of the electric current but adapted to become conductive under the influence of heat; substantially as and in the manner described.

2. In an arc-lamp; means for substituting an incandescent medium for the arc, consisting of the combination with the carbons; of`

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conveys the current and maintains the lampeireuit; to the exclusion of the are; substantally as and in the manner described.

3. The heretofore-described method of substituting an incandescent medium for an are in amare-lamp, consisting in; first burning the Circuit through the are; heating by means of the are an ineandesoing medium oonnecti ing the Cai-bons, and thus making the me- 1o clium conductive, when previously partially non-eonductive; `and finally maintaining the circuit through the medium to the exclusion of the are, and maintaining the incandeseenoe of the medium thereby; substantially as described.

WILLIAM E. IRISH.

Vituesses:

WM. M. MONROE, A. I-I. GEBERT. 

